Conservative or Liberal, Deist or Pagan, Jersey transplant or Lehigh Valley native, we're all in this mess together. Let's talk. Let us do no harm. Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne

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Monday, July 27, 2015

Lou Hershman: Those $2 Parking Meters Are Actually $3

As part of his gentrification of the MIZ (Millionaire Improvement Zone), Fed Ed's latest trick is to double the parking meter rates in the downtown, from $1 to $2 per hour, from 8 am to 10 pm, six days a week. The sole vote against doubling the rate came from Jeanette Eichenwald. For people of limited means, this is extremely unfair. It's also a slap across the face of restaurants like Allentown Brew Works, which have no huge parking lots like the nearby malls. But guess what? It might actually be as much as a $3 parking meter, according to City Council candidate Lou Hershman.

Schlossberg getting a few touch ups

Hershman tells me that if you feed the meters nickels, you get a minute for every one you insert. You'd have to plug the meter with 60 nickels for an hour's worth of parking. That comes out to $3 per hour, not the $2 pr hour authorized.

If you use quarters and want to stay an hour, four quarters will give you only 56 minutes.

Allentown is cheating anyone who uses cash at a meter.

But don't fret. Jeanette Eichenwald is going to conduct a hearing to force a rollback. Besides, poor people shouldn't drive.

Thoise with limited incomes may no longer be able to park downtown, but State Rep. Mike Schlossberg wants them to know that they can get free training to work in a MIZ restaurant like Billy's Downtown Diner for under the minimum wage, which is usually the case for waitstaff.

He's posted a link on his Facebook page for anyone looking for a "leg up" on those coveted hospitality jobs. I must say it's very thoughtful of him to take time out of his ribbon cuttings with Butz to share a moment with the unwashed masses.

27 comments:

Anonymous
said...

No PA budget, but the per diem and mileage keeps adding up. Free parking for our Legislators in Harrisburg, however, if you work in the MIZ, pay the parking authority or else. Thanks to an ARRA and PADEP grants, the Parking Authority has a bright future with LED fixture. Beware of street sweeping at the lunch time hour. Clean streets are a coin toss. Tickets for unsuspecting patrons are guaranteed.

A few months ago the Allentown Parking Authority said that they would have parking studies(?) to present to City Council and the public in the month of July. As far as I know, APA has not produced any surveys or studies for City Council or the public to review.

City Council voted YES to raise parking meter rates. Why would they vote yes when they had no study or survey to review? Why did 6 of 7 City Council members vote YES to increase parking meter rates?

I noticed the slick accounting on the parking meters myself several weeks ago when one weekday evening I stopped to visit Mr. Fegley's establishment.This was a non-event night and there were virtually no vehicles parked on the street.I enjoy the Brewworks, but on that night I made the decision that I would not be coming back with any regularity. The parking on Hamilton Street was an impediment that I would not subject myself to.

Michael Schlossberg is a caring father, you can read about it day in, and day out, on his Facebook page.If you buy his book, you too can be a master of Facebook and social media.Have a nice day. (Insert happy face here.)

Bernie, You must meen fed ed's liposuction qween that was under heavey sudation via ( popo) greedy's satalite phone for the waterwar deciding vote rubber stamped while not on American soil¿ Bernie in a legal venue as such does that vote even count under homeroom charter¿

Schlossberg really DOES like the Mayor.....and he LOVES his Dominican constituents.What was all this nonsense about Schlossbergand the good mayor detesting one another?..... And who doesn't love Julio?You can see it all on the boy representatives Facebook page.It's absolutely heartwarming!!!

It's just incredible to me that police overtime required for special events at the arena and for policing downtown's "revival" district is being paid for by the parking meters all over the NIZ, all the time. I thought the rising tide of the NIZ would pay for the police overtime. All of the businesses in the NiZ are being punished, which proves (to me, at least) that the NIZ is not to improve anyone's business but only those businesses specifically targeted by ANZIDA. I think this is a strategy to keep out poor people, too.

It shows that City leadership is not interested in everyday citizens or businesses who are not associated with Pawlowski's personal empire.

If the City really wanted to improve business downtown, they would REMOVE the meters and set a free two - three hour parking time limit.

Soon the new council candidates will be out and about. The opportunity exists to question them about all the issues found in this blog. Candida Affa for one owes us answers about the parking meter fiasco. Controversial info has come about on this blog. Time now to confront candidates looking for answers.